How life has changed in Richmondshire

Richmondshire's population increased by about 5,000 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the most notable changes among the local population.

The population passed 50,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Richmondshire increased by 10.5%, from about 47,000 to 52,000.

The addition of almost 5,000 people means this area's population was the second-fastest-growing in Yorkshire and The Humber and increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Richmondshire was home to, on average, 0.28 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it England's third-least densely-populated district.

Population density was lower than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Richmondshire

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Richmondshire increased by three years, from 37 to 40 years.

This area had a slightly higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and became slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 1,800 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 1,000.

About 12.0% of people in Richmondshire are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Richmondshire by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More worked long hours

Richmondshire saw England's second-largest rise in the proportion of people working long hours.

During this period, Richmondshire overtook South Holland and Eden to become the English local authority area with the third-highest percentage of long hours workers.

In 2011, just under one in four (22.7%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Richmondshire said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 20.4% in 2001. The percentage that worked less than 16 hours in a week increased from 1.7% to 2.4%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of people working long hours occurred in City of London (from 24.0% to 26.6%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

Long hour working was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Richmondshire residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 6.7% to 3.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (84.8%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 73.0% in 2001. The percentage of Richmondshire residents that described their health as fair decreased from 20.3% to 11.5%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad increased faster here than in any other local authority district across Yorkshire and The Humber. As a result, this area had the region’s lowest proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad and the highest proportion of residents that perceived their health as good or very good.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Richmondshire decreased by 3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Richmondshire, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of employment

Richmondshire saw Yorkshire and The Humber's second-largest rise in the proportion of employed people.

In 2011, just under 6 in 10 (57.8%) people aged 16 to 74 in Richmondshire said they were employed, compared with 55.9% in 2001. The percentage that were unemployed increased from 2.5% to 2.9%.

Across the region, only Barnsley saw a greater rise in the proportion of employed people (from 48.7% to 51.4%).

During this period, Richmondshire overtook Selby to become the Yorkshire and The Humber local authority area with the highest percentage of employed people.

The rate of employment was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were employed across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

Private renting increased in Richmondshire, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber, except Ryedale and Hambleton.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of privately rented homes, as the regional average grew from 9.1% to 15.9%.

Private renting was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that rented privately across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Families in Richmondshire

Richmondshire saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest fall in the proportion of households with children.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29.1%) households in Richmondshire had at least one dependent child, compared with 31.7% in 2001. The percentage with no children increased from 59.7% to 62.3%.

Across the region, only North East Lincolnshire (from 32.2% to 28.5%) and Hambleton (from 29.2% to 26.5%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of households with children.

During this period, Richmondshire overtook North East Lincolnshire to become the Yorkshire and The Humber local authority area with the seventh-highest percentage of households with children.

The proportion of households with children was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Richmondshire

Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation in Richmondshire, the largest percentage point increase was among those who said they had no religion, rising 11.8 points between 2001 and 2011. The census question about religion is voluntary, so varying response rates mean caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

In 2011, 23.0% of respondents in Richmondshire said they had no religion, up from 11.2% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of respondents who described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Around 74.5% of respondents in Richmondshire said they were Christian, down from 87.6% in 2001. About 1.1% said they were Hindu, up from 0.7% a decade prior.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population that said they had no religion in Richmondshire increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Richmondshire by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Richmondshire

The percentage of Richmondshire residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 6.1% to 6.3% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 40 (2.9%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 2.4% in 2001. The percentage of Richmondshire residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 90.8%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.0% in 2001 to 6.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single people in Richmondshire

The percentage of single people in Richmondshire increased from 25.6% to 29.0% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in two (53.6%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 57.8% in 2001. The percentage of adults in Richmondshire that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 9.2% to 10.9%.

The proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased at a slower rate here than the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 28.6% in 2001 to 33.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 30.5% to 34.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Richmondshire, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 6.8% to 8.3% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over one in four (25.9%) households had only one person, compared with 24.5% in 2001. The percentage of households in Richmondshire which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 47.2% to 42.4%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 8.7% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Richmondshire

In 2011, 2.4% of Richmondshire residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from 1.0% in 2001. The 1.4 percentage point change was the largest increase among ethnic groups in this area.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 95.4% of people in Richmondshire said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 98.3% in 2001. About 1.0% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.5% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 1.0%.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Richmondshire increased by 1.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Richmondshire by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Richmondshire residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 0.9% to 1.1% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under 1 in 50 (1.8%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.5% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Richmondshire remained close to 1.1%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Richmondshire by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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